


Once Again, But With More Heart

by Sephone_North



Category: Naruto
Genre: A serious story, Badass Hinata, Badass Sakura, Canon? What Canon?, Chunin exam arc, Danzo is an asshole., F/M, Gen, I make no promises this will be finished, I promise, I’m horrible at tagging, NaNoWriMo, No beta - We die like mne, Rokudaime Naruto, Sandaime is getting brainwashed, Sasuke was a bad guy now he’s just confused, Time Travel, canon is a lie, itachi isn’t that bad of a guy, naruto is pissed, overpowered Naruto
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-08
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-08-20 16:42:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16559408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sephone_North/pseuds/Sephone_North
Summary: “The reward for good work is more work.”Uzumaki Naruto, the rokudaime Hokage, has worked tirelessly for four years to keep his village alive from the forces of the dead. Brought back by a mad man who needs the Kyuubi no Kitusune for his master plan, this army of Edo Tensei monsters has nearly destroyed the entire world. Now, even the last Kage can’t hold against them, and death has finally come for him.But Death has other plans.Waking up in the past, Naruto now has the chance to stop the war before it even happens. Joined by his right hand, the Shadow of the Hokage, and his best friend, the Shinigami’s Bane, Naruto will have to work carefully to defeat his enemies before they even know what’s going on. Of course, passing the Chūnin Exams wouldn’t be that bad either.





	1. The Journey Forward, The Stumble Back

**Author's Note:**

> This is an attempt at validation, I’ll be honest. This is m nano for this year. If you’ve read “shadows of Hope” You know that i’m Not the best at completeing stories. I apologize in advance. I’m going to try, I promise. I just need to be able to see views, I think. 
> 
> Unbeta’d and probable not good. Chad is going to kill me for this. Oh well.   
> Enjoy!

Silence stretched across the forest as they ran. Even the taps of their sandals on the tree branches were muffled by their chakra. They had been running for two days straight, but Naruto was practically made of chakra and Itachi was dead so he never ran out of chakra.   
Finally, Naruto lifted his hand, signaling for Itachi to stop. They froze, and listened, wind whistling through the trees. 

 

“This is near the rendezvous point,” Naruto murmured. “We’ll hold here until I can feel them coming.” Itachi nodded. 

 

Naruto ran his fingers along the side of his head where a rogue Jutsu had shaved the hair off. The rest of his blonde hair was long and shaggy, held back from his face by his scuffed hitai-ate. He wore a standard jonin uniform, the only addition being the bright orange fabrics tied to his arm. It was the last remnants of his favorite orange jumpsuit, and Hinata had kindly asked some of the young orphans to embroider kanji on it. It was adorned with “victory”and “luck”, a constant reminder of why he was fighting. Why’d he been fighting non-stop for the last three years. He would never admit it, but the twenty-year old was tired. 

 

He fought back a shiver as a a breeze whistled over them. Late autumn in the Land of Iron was much colder than the Land of Fire, and Naruto didn’t want to run the risk of regulating his temperature with his chakra like he normally did. His red coat had not survived the last fight. He glanced over at his companion, who did not have any issue. 

 

It was easy to tell that Itachi was dead. His skin was bone white and parchment thing, and black lines ran across it, the evidence of the chakra holding him together. His black cloak would’ve kept him warm, even if he did feel the cold. The former Akatsuki cloak had had the red clouds adorning it, but Sakura had taken an ink brush to them during a chakra-exhaustion induced rage. Itachi had endured it with a amused grace, and now his cloak was completely black. 

Itachi glanced up at Naruto, red eyes inquisitive. Naruto grinned at him and whispered quietly, “I never thought I’d see the day where i was jealous of a dead guy.”

 

Itachi hmmd, amused. Naruto had noticed that the elder Uchiha did not normally laugh, but was capable of making his amusement known. 

 

And wasn’t that the kick in the teeth, that here he was, at the end of the world, with this Uchiha by his side, and Sasuke against him. That somewhere along the line between the creation of Team Seven and now, Itachi, a perpetrator of the Uchiha massacre, would be redeemed, and Sasuke would be beyond redemption. He never would’ve thought it possible, but there were many things he didn’t think were possible before. Now he knew better. 

 

“There is a certain benefit, I suppose,” Itachi replied, pulling Naruto from his thoughts. 

 

“Thank you for tagging along,” Naruto said, leaning his back against the tree trunk. “I appreciate not having to go on this mission alone.”

“This is my atonement,” Itachi said slowly. “If I may ask, why did you decide to come alone?”

 

“Better odds.” Naruto shrugged. “I’m a one-man army. Better that I go alone and leave the actual army at home. Hinata will need every hand she has if they realize I’m gone, and beyond that, she has civilians. I couldn’t pull from that. We were also too selfish to say no to you though.” He ran his hand through his hair. “And you do not have to atone for Sasuke’s crimes. Not when the cause was not only your fault.” 

 

“But much of this, it is my fault.” Itachi said. If Naruto hadn’t spent his life translating Uchiha body language and reading Sai and Kakashi, he would've missed the slight tensing of Itachi’s shoulders. The guilt lining his body. “I obeyed, I listened, and I pushed Sasuke to this breaking   
point.” 

 

“You never could have imagined that Sasuke would give up his loyalty to Konoha. You drove him to power, but you didn’t know that he would give up himself to do it.” Naruto shook his head when Itachi opened his mouth to argue. “I’m not saying you weren’t wrong, Itachi. I’m just saying, you were naive. And naivety is a sin easily forgiven.” 

 

There is nothing but the wind whistling between them for a moment. Finally, Itachi spoke.   
“Would you have forgiven Sasuke?” His voice was soft. 

 

“Before Kakashi, in a heartbeat. But after? No, no, even that is something I couldn’t forgive. Now? He’s dug his hole too deep.” Naruto sighed, his mind filling with the last four years of betrayals. He took a deep breath and pushed them away. “Enough. Let’s tal-“ He froze as emotions washed over him. Emotions that were not his own. 

 

They were completely surrounded, not only by the dead, but also by the living. He could feel the sorrow tinged rage of Sasuke at the south, tasting like sour wine in his mouth. He could feel the insanity of Obito to the north, a madness that nearly felt overwhelming, like a tornado hellbent on destroying his soul. And all around, he felt the muted emotions of the dead. Muted emotions that ripped his heart to shreds, because some he recognized. The mournful rasp of sand from Gaara, the whisper of lighting that was Kakashi, the frozen regret of Haku. He knew them, mixed in with the hundreds that he didn’t know. 

 

There was one thing he did know however. The team from Kumo was dead. There was no way that this group of Shinobi had left the team alive. And now, they were coming after him.   
In a normal world, this many people against one man (though in reality, it was two) would be a ridiculous overkill. But Obito wasn’t stupid. He knew that he couldn’t take a chance against Naruto. Konoha was still standing after three years of constant assaults from the dead, and Naruto had only honed his skills in every battle. Obito would need every advantage he could get. 

 

“We’re surrounded,” Naruto murmured quietly. “I don’t think we’re making it back to Konoha.” 

 

“A trap then. How disappointing.” Itachi straightened, his power unfolding around him like crow wings. 

 

“Yup. It was a honor fighting with you, Uchiha,” Naruto straightened, and pulled out the pair of black gloves from his pocket. He pulled them on, remembering the woman who’d owned them before. 

 

“Same, Rokudaime-sama. I will endeavor to take as many down as I can.” Itachi nodded. 

 

“Good. Hinata taught you how to break their connections to the moon?” Naruto asked, his power slowly spreading around him, the air hissing as the temperature rose. He pulled the nature chakra to him, almost like breathing. 

 

“Hai.” 

 

“Then fight well. If you get resurrected on the next new moon, please tell Hinata what happened.” Itachi bowed, and exploded into a murder of crows that took to the air. 

 

Naruto turned and faced Konoha, feeling the enemies getting closer. His ally was headed towards Obito, still unable to face his brother on the battlefield. Naruto didn’t blame him for it. As Hokage, it was his duty to take on the hardest tasks after all. He couldn’t see his village, but it didn’t matter. He had a feeling this would be his last stand. 

 

“Forgive me, Hinata, for not following your last order.” He bowed in the direction of the village, and then took off, ready to end this war one way or another.


	2. Waking Up, No Ash or Dust

Naruto jerked awake, sucking in air in gulping gasps. He flailed like a fool, reaching for something on the edge of his consciousness that wasn’t actually there. He choked, too much oxygen in his lungs, and threw himself forward, unable to get his bearings. He was wrapped in blankets, too many blankets, and he threw them all off as fast as he could, getting tangled in the fabric. He swallowed down a scream of frustration and stiffened his muscles, forcing himself to take measured breathes. Panic attacks right out of nightmares were not uncommon, but it wasn’t often he’d lose complete control. He could feel his chakra bubbling on his skin, Kurama’s power answering to his perceived threat. 

 

Finally, forcing the panic down, Naruto looked around, doing his best to reevaluate. There was something not right, a thousand things pinging off his senses that was driving him mad. He paused and gaped as he realized where he was sitting. 

 

He was in his apartment. His actual apartment, from when he was a Genin, before he’d left with Jiraiya. Everything, from the mess on the floor, to the calendar on the wall, it was all like before. Before it was destroyed in the city with Pein, before it had been cleaned out and moved to storage when he’d left for his training mission. 

 

He fought down the sudden surge of panic, his senses overwhelmed by something he couldn’t place. He bit his thumb, focusing on the pain. If this were a genjutsu, he needed to break it. He closed his eyes, doing his best to steady his racing heart. 

 

‘ **Focus, boy,** ’ a deep voice in the back of his head echoed. He sighed, realizing that Kurama was still there. At least he was not alone in whatever hell this was. ‘ **What do you feel?** ’ 

 

Naruto took a deep breath, pulling his bleeding thumb from his mouth and focusing on the incessant jangling of his senses. It took his two breaths to realize what he was feeling, what was overwhelming him was emotions. 

 

All around him, people, living people were feeling. They were feeling a range of emotions, from joy to anger to sadness, but one thing he noticed was that none of them had the lingering hint of despair that he’d grown so used to. Everyone was feeling their own emotions, no pall of doom hanging over the village like there had been for the last four years. 

 

And even more, there was so many! Too many people for him to count! All breathing and feeling, and living, all around him. A full village, a whole village, a happy village. Something he’d never truly felt, since he’d only realized Kurama’s empathic abilities after the war had begun. It was overwhelming, the range of emotions from all those souls surrounding him. 

 

He didn’t know how long he sat in his bed, just feeling the emotions swirling outside his four walls, but he was sure it was a while, before he pulled himself together. His cheeks were wet, and he sniffed quietly, before taking another deep breath and sliding into his mental world in the back of this head. 

 

Mentally, he landed in a crouch on the spire of the tall tower that encompassed his thoughts. He had based the mental tower off the Hokage’s tower, and through a few years of mental discipline and training from an assortment of people and Kurama, he’d built the Tower to be a dangerous labyrinth of traps and hidden secrets. The inside of the tower was his but the outside was Kurama’s, and it showed in the vast mountain range and densely forested area as far as the eye could see, covered in a light mist. Since it was all a mental construct anyways, it didn’t take up any space, but Naruto didn’t enjoy thinking that deeply about it. 

 

The mist shifted, and Kurama lifted his head to look Naruto in the eye. They had finally come to an agreement early in the war, and after the years of fighting beside each other, equal partners, they had finally come to respect one another. Naruto was even willing to call them friends, though Kurama would sooner compliment an Uchiha before admitting it. 

 

“What is this? A genjutsu?” Naruto asked immediately, his voice breaking. He shook himself, and breathed, before regaining his composure. “I don’t understand.” 

 

 **“I barely understand,”** Kurama said. His voice wasn’t loud, but it was heavy, filled with the weight of years and power. Once, it had filled Naruto with dread and fear, but now it was a balm to his soul. It was good not to be alone. “ **But this is not a Jutsu crafted by mortal hands. You died, and your soul was rejected from the Pure Lands.”**

 

“WHAT THE FUCK!” Naruto screeched, outraged. “How do you get rejected from the Pure lands? Even Gaara’s dad made it to the Pure Lands! **OROCHIMARU** MADE IT TO THE PURE LANDS.”

 

“ **Quiet your squawking!** ” Kurama ordered, baring his teeth. “ **I’m not surprised you were unable to remember what the Shinigami said, because you’re just a weak human soul, but I was listening.”**

 

“But you just said-“ 

 

“ **Oh shut up. I asked the Shinigami why, mainly because you were throwing a fit at the gates like an idiot. Apparently, he’s sick of the Uchiha’s ruining his perfectly good Pure Lands with their Open Window no Jutsu, and is sending you down to stop it before it happens**.” 

 

Naruto blinked. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, then opened it once more. He ran his hand on the shaved part of his head, processing everything. Finally, he looked up at Kurama. 

 

“So, this is all real?” He said softly. 

 

Kurama’s eyes softened, though he’d had denied it if asked. **“Yes, this is all real. You have a chance to save them all.”**

 

Naruto blinked, and blinked again, before bursting out into laughter. Tears poured down his face as emotions rolled over him, his own this time. His laughter was uncontrollable, and he could feel Kurama’s slight concern. But he couldn’t stop the release of emotions. 

 

After what felt like forever, he took a deep breath and sighed.He was curled up in Kurama’s paw, having fell off the tower at some point in his hysteria. He coughed, his lungs aching, which was weird since they were just a mental construct, and sat up slowly. He looked up at Kurama, who was staring down, eyebrow raised. 

 

“Trauma’s a bitch,” he muttered, slightly embarrassed. Kurama huffed out a laugh, and shook his head. Naruto rubbed the back of his head and brought his knees to his chest. “Do you know what time it is?” 

 

**“Not quite. If I had to guess, I’d say it was about a week before you fought the Snake asshole the first time.”**

 

Naruto racked his brain. He had fought Orochimaru so many times in the last few years, it was hard sometimes to separate them. Then he blinked. “The Chūnin Exams? That’s-“ he took a deep breath. “That was a long time ago.” 

 

**“It was. But it was before everything fell apart, so it should be easier to keep it all together.”** Kurama stated, almost encouragingly. 

 

Naruto snorted, but nodded. “I guess you’re right. I need to start planning.” He paused. “Did- Did the Shinigami say anything about anyone else?” 

 

Kurama bilked ad shook his head. “ **Not to me. We may be on our own.”**

 

Naruto swallowed the crushing disappointment and shrugged. “Alright. We got this! We’re gonna save everyone, Dattebayo!” 

 

Kurama sighed heavily. “ **At least you’re acting your part, brat.”**

 

The twenty-year old Hokage stuck his tongue out at the fox in an extremely mature move, before bringing himself out of his mindscape.

 

He looked around his room, taking it all in. The emotions of the world outside was still pressing in on him, and that was going to be difficult if he didn’t do something soon. So he threw himself out of bed, intent on starting the day with some tea first. 

 

A quick glance at his clock said that he’d been adjusting longer than he thought he had been. It was already almost 10, and if he didn’t hurry, he’d probably be later than Kakashi-Sensei to the team meeting. 

 

His heart clenched. The team meeting. The team meeting for Team Seven. The team meeting for Team Seven that consisted of him, Haruno Sakura, Hatake Kakashi, and Uchiha Sasuke. Two of the members of his family and the bastard who had killed them. His fists tightened, as he took a calming breath. He couldn’t afford to lose his temper. 

 

Jiraiya had been the first person he’d ever lost to death. That lost was a indelible mark against his heart, a scar that would never heal over. It was the moment that he realized that the people around him were people that could be lost. It was then that he learned that caring for people, having a family, it all came with a huge price stamp. 

 

Hinata had nearly died for him, and for a small window of time, he had thought she was dead. That burst of emotion, that first time he’d heard someone say “I love you” and to have them taken away that fast. It was whiplash that burned at his soul, and it had nearly caused his own death. He learned that he could lose himself in that pain, and he was blessed that Hinata had not actually died. 

 

But it was Kakashi, Kakashi’s death that broke him. Kakashi who had gotten strong armed by the council and Danzo to guard for the traitor at the Five Kage summit. Kakashi who had seemed indestructible. Kakashi who was one of the best Shinobi Naruto had ever seen. Kakashi, who’s head had been dropped off by the hawk summon in a scroll signed by the ozone scent of lightning chakra. The letter that told that Kakashi had been killed by the same technique he’d crafted, the technique he’d taught his student to survive. 

 

The ultimate betrayal. 

 

This is the death that broke him. Naruto had no anger to hold. It was only shock, electrifying shock, like he had been the one to receive the Chidori to the heart. Naruto couldn’t summon any emotions, and after he regained function, he wandered around, empty. 

 

It was Hinata who pieced him back together. Hinata who found him, staring at a memorial stone, lost. Hinata who gathered him up, who set him back where he needed to be. She forced him to eat, forced him to spend time with his friends, forced him to spend time training. She pushed him until the emotions spilled out, and then she held him as he screamed his rage to the sky. And when he was more back to earth, it was her he asked to find Sakura. 

 

And together they did. Sakura who had been so angry though it all. Who had pushed everyone away, except the ridiculously stubborn Ino. Sakura, who had broken Naruto’s arm the moment she saw him, who’s grief driven spar had ended with both of them in the hospital and more property damage than anyone had ever seen. But it was what they needed, and together, with Hinata and Ino, they healed. 

 

But then the Edo Tensei war came. The dead rose and fell, and tied to the cycles to the moon, rose again every new moon. They fought and fought, and it never ended. They became the heads of the village, the cornerstones. 

 

Until Ino fell to the dead. And Sakura was no longer happy with her hospital, with keeping the Konoha Shinobi alive and whole. She needed something to break. And so, with a hell of a lot of trepidation, Hinata and Naruto let her. 

 

Two weeks. Two weeks it took for the enemy to learn that she had entered the front lines. Two weeks before they sent their counter. 

 

Two weeks before the Chidori stabbed her in the back. 

 

Even the thought of it sends Naruto’s chakra boiling, and he thanks the Sage that he lives in a civilian building, because any sensor would’ve panicked by now. He wasn’t sure how he was going to look Sasuke in the eye. He wasn’t sure how he was going to look at Sakura without seeing her body being held in Kiba’s arms, Akamaru whimpering in his own grief. 

 

He leaned on his kitchen counter and focused on his breathing, pushing the chakra surge down. He could do this, without getting his ass kicked by a suspicious Kakashi. He could do this. After a deep breath, clearing his mind like Ino taught him, he opened his cupboard and slapped his forehead. 

 

Eleven-year old Naruto was crap at his diet. It was miracle (and probably the work of some sneaky ANBU) that he had not gotten scurvy as a child. After multiple chakra-exhaustion induced lectures from Sakura, who took to chakra exhaustion like Lee took to Sake, Naruto finally admitted that he couldn’t have ramen for every meal. Also, by the time he had actually died, there was no more instant ramen, and actual ramen was a rare treat only offered once in a full moon. So he had expanded his food repertoire, and actually learned that he liked other stuff, like Hinata’s favorite sushi (trout from the river, before it was dammed up), and Ino’s special barbeque (Deer, at first, then cat later, though they didn’t talk about it). He also learned how to brew tea, and brew it well. Ration tea was like paint thinner if it wasn’t brewed with a careful and deft hand, and all three girls was skilled. So Naruto learned. 

 

However, eleven year old Naruto did not know these things, and his cupboards was full of instant ramen and no tea. He sighed, and then perked up. If he was in the past, then that meant Ichiraku’s was still open. That meant real ramen. But before that, he needed a strong cup of tea and some meditation, somewhere quiet. And he needed to leave and hide, before Kakashi-Sensei found him, or else he’d be dragged to the team meeting and he wasn’t ready yet. 

 

He brought his hands together and made a shadow clone to fetch him his tea. It henged into a young woman, dark reddish brown hair tied up in a high ponytail and a nondescript dress. She looked like a normal civilian. He’d learned how to make women that actually looked like women and not porn stars, after a vicious beating from Ino, Sakura, and TenTen. It had been… memorable. 

 

Trusting his clone to get tea, he slipped out of the apartment and took off towards the training grounds. He pulled an u-turn halfway there, when he realized he was heading straight to the Forest of Death. It was a good place away from everyone to mediate, but if it was close it the Chūnin exams, it was probably covered in proctors. 

 

He stopped and tapped his foot, looking around. Normally, he’d go to the Hokage’s monument, but his current favorite head to perch on, Tsunade’s wasn’t actual carved. He’d never had to fight Tsunade’s Edo Tensei corpse, since she fell into a coma and was whisked away by the slugs when they pronounced her brain dead. Sitting on his father's head was an option, but an uneasy one. Too many fights against the Yondaime, too many tearful conversations while the Yellow Flash tried to shove a Rasengan into his chest. 

 

The Edo Tensei corpses didn’t have free will, had to do what Madara ordered, but they had awareness. They were always aware of what they were doing, even if they didn't want to do it. It made for some very uncomfortable fights.

 

Naruto shook himself, and sighed. It wouldn’t have mattered anyways, the Hokage monument would be on the top five places to look for him. He knew he couldn’t hide from his Sensei forever, but he just needed some time. The forced blocking of emotions around him was starting to give him a migraine.  
Migraine! There was only one person in the world who gave him a real and true migraine (well, two, because Kurama), and that was Uchiha Obito. The sheer shitshow of the Uchiha’s life was a moral quandary that Naruto has puzzled over many nights. Mainly, was the Uchiha redeemable considering his circumstances. Hinata said possibly, Ino and Sakura said no, TenTen said once, but no longer, Shikamaru said the whole was troublesome, and Naruto was undecided. But none of that was important at the moment. What was important was the fact that Kakashi-sensei had probably already moved onto his team observation and that no one would look for Naruto near the monument stone. 

 

Naruto took off, making sure to take a wide circle from the small bridge where Team 7 met. He found his clone right before the street to the graveyard, and accepted his tea brightly. He took a sip and hmmd at the lavender, realizing that he was telling himself something, and then dispelled the clone and ran off again. 

 

The monument graveyard was quiet at this time of day, and slightly removed from the main bustle of the village. There were more muted emotions, which was a blessing to his slowly fraying nerves, but a familiar layer of sadness permeated the air. It frustrated him slightly just how comforting that level of sadness was, mainly because of its familiarity, the fact that for the majority of the last few years, it permeated every part of his life. But that sense of normalcy would made it easier to slide into a meditative state. 

 

He jumped into a tree overlooking the monument and settled his tea in his lap. Before he began, he heard a slight rumble in his head. “Don’t try any nature chakra, kid. Not sure how your body will handle it.” He nodded and closed his eyes. 

 

Meditation was something taught to him by Jiraiya, a method for chakra control. It hadn’t worked well, because Naruto had more energy than he knew what to do with, but it was an attempt. The skill was improved upon greatly by the toads during his sage training, as it was a necessity to gathering sage chakra. But he truly mastered it at the hands of Yamanaka Ino. 

 

Ino had taught him how to build in meditation, how to find the things that needed to be pushed and pulled in his mind. She taught him how to layer traps in his mind, to keep everyone out no matter how powerful. She taught him how to focus on the emotions around him, how to use them to track, and she also taught him how to blend it all into background noise. She was one of the few people who had ever met Kurama face to face, and was on the even shorter list of one of the people that Kurama liked. She taught them both how to build traps around Kurama too, so that any invader’s mental projection could be eaten. She was a bloodthirsty woman. 

 

With a wistful smile, he slipped into his meditation.


	3. We Look, But Seeing isn't Easy

Kakashi was annoyed and frustrated. While not completely foreign emotions when dealing with his most bittersweet student, it was a bit more amplified today. What was the point of having awesome news to share if the one person who will appreciate it most was not there? 

 

He appeared in a poof next to his prompt students, deeply disappointed in Sakura’s jerk of surprise. She had been staring off into the water quite hard, surprisingly leaving Sasuke completely alone, but she did need to work on her awareness. 

 

“Maa, Maa, my cute little students. It seems we’re missing one.” He said, cutting off the pink haired girl’s screech about his lateness. 

 

Sasuke shrugged, “He hasn’t shown up.”

 

“And where would Naruto be?” Kakashi asked, tapping his book against his chest. 

 

“Probably still asleep,” Sakura said, her tone vicious. She was rubbing her forehead as she spoke, but stopped and looked up. “What are we doing today?” 

 

“Looking for our teammate,” Kakashi answered, noting the odd movement. Generally, Sakura didn’t like to bring attention to her forehead, since it was one of the weak chinks in her self-esteem. For her to be running her head, usually meant she had a headache. He felt a chill go down his spine for a moment, and then almost let out a sigh of relief. She had a mother. There was no need for her sensei to give that awkward talk, and he could always pawn the rest of it onto one of the kuniochis. Anko owed him a favor. 

 

He grinned. That would be fun. 

 

He was pulled out of his evil amusement by a grunt from Sasuke. He raised an eyebrow at the boy. 

 

“Fine,” The Uchiha growled, and started off. He paused and turned back, looking at Sakura, then turning to Kakashi. 

 

“Why yes, Sasuke-chan, I do know where he lives.” Kakashi said brightly, snapping his book open. “Follow me.” He ignore the scowl pointed at his back as he moved pass. 

 

As they walked, he contemplated the reason as to why his young student could be late. Sleeping in was a possibility, but a rare one. Kakashi had noticed that once Naruto had graduated, he was awake early in the morning, eager to train. Kakashi was planning on shoving the kid onto Gai for early morning training, but couldn’t bring himself to do it. If he passed Naruto onto Gai, then others would want to teach his sensei’s son, and Kakashi was a selfish person at heart. Oh, it hurt like hell to have the bright boy, a constant reminder of sensei, and Kushina, and even Obito, near him all the time. But Naruto was his, and he didn’t feel like sharing. 

 

Worse ideas ran through his head, the constant one being that Danzo had finally made his move and stolen the boy. But that was ridiculous, and just Kakashi’s paranoia getting the best of him. 

 

His paranoia made him slow for half a step as they entered Naruto neighborhood, allowing for his students to get a step close to him. Sasuke, he could feel on his left, and was not what he worried about, but Sakura, he could see from the corner of his eye now. The girl was a shinobi, yes, but they were walking through the red light district and he simply wanted to make sure she was close.   
The fact that his beloved sensei’s son was living in the red light district of Konoha was a point of contention between him and the Hokage. Kakashi had wanted the boy to live anywhere else, but according to the Hokage, this small apartment building was the only place willing to take in the young jinchuuriki. Kakashi had forced himself into as many guard shifts for Uzumaki Naruto as he could right after they moved the kid into the apartment. His paranoia would expect nothing less. 

 

Even a half-skilled sensor could find Naruto if they were looking. The kid was like a sunspot on the senses. You could see him from a mile away. But that fact made it obvious that Naruto was not in his apartment. Kakashi allowed his students to make the trip up to the plant covered apartment at the top of the building. He blinked at the realization that Naruto had the plant knowledge to take to poisons like a pro. However, there was no killer instinct there that a poison master required. 

 

Sakura banged on the door loudly, and Kakashi nearly told her off, but he just buried his nose deeper into his book. 

 

Another door slammed open across the hall, and a dark haired woman leaned out growling. “For Sage sake’s, you stupid piece of shit. He’s not there.” 

 

Sakura flushed bright red and Sasuke glared at the woman. Kakashi looked up, smiling with his eye. “Sorry ma’am. Have you seen him?” 

 

“Aren’t you supposed to be a jonin? No, I haven’t seen him. I’ve been asleep, because some of us work nights. Now get out.” She snarled and slammed the door. Kakashi blinked at the door and then glanced back at his students. 

 

“Hmm, any other places?” He asked brightly. Sakura stared up at him and shrugged. Apparently, she’d used all of her confidence for the day. Kakashi bit back a sigh. Sasuke just glared. He tapped his hand against his thigh, growling under his breath. 

 

Sakura glanced at him, opening her mouth to ask something, but stopped, her eyes tightening. She flinched hard and began rubbing her forehead. Kakashi raised an eyebrow. 

 

“You okay, Sakura?” He asked. 

 

“Yes sir, I’m fine,” she said quietly. She looked up at him, squinting slightly. “Usually, if I need to find Naruto, I go to Ichiraku’s. If he isn’t there, they’ve usually seen him at some point.” 

 

“Then to Ichiraku’s we go.” Kakashi glanced out of the window. They were two streets away from the edge of the red light district, and Ichiraku's wasn’t too far. Sakura would be fine. He grinned at them. 

 

“I’ll meet you there.” and shushinned away. 

 

He landed in a tree, far enough away to check their chakra, but far enough they couldn’t find him. He shifted his weight, bit his thumb as formed some hand signs, kneeling down to place his hand on the ground to summon Pakkun.

 

“‘Sup Boss?” The little pug asked as he appeared in a poof of smoke. 

 

“I seem to have lost a pup.” Kakashi said, rubbing his neck with a hand. “Think you can hunt him down?”

 

The dog sighed a great heavy sigh, as if he expected this grand disappointment. Kakashi didn’t move, unimpressed with the theatrics. 

 

“Let me guess, Uchiha?” Pakkun asked. 

 

“Actually, no. Naruto.”

 

That shocked the pug. “What? Did Da-“

 

“Don’t know,” Kakashi interrupted smoothly. “That’s why I’m asking you to look. You’ll find him faster than I will.”

 

“Should i order him back?” 

 

“No, just find him and report back. I’ll send a shadow clone with you.” He placed his hands together and a clone appeared next to them. “I want to know where he is.”

 

“Will do, Boss.” Pakkun said and jumped down, the shadow clone trailing behind. Kakashi nodded and rose, tapping his book on his thigh. 

 

He was concerned, and he wasn’t sure if he should be. There was something wrong, but he couldn’t for the life of him figure it out. He shrugged and shushinned to Ichiraku’s. A quick check showed that his students were close by. He settled back, leaning on a wall near the ramen shop as they skidded around the corner. Their cute little death glares made him smile, though he hid it under his mask. 

 

“Maa, maa, you two are slow.” He said brightly. He nodded towards the stand. “Shall we?” 

 

Sakura just scowled as they stepped into the stand. Old man Ichiraku was behind the counter, preparing for the day, his daughter Ayame next to him. He looked up as they came in a smiled. 

 

“Ah, Team Seven! It’s early!” He blinked and his smile faltered slightly. “Where’s Naruto-kun?” Ayame’s head popped up from where she was washing the dishes, her eyes wide before narrowing dangerously. Kakashi took note and wondered how often she’d thought of poisoning the good people of Konoha. 

 

“We were hoping you’d seen him today,” Sakura said. “He wasn’t at our team meeting, and he’s almost always here.” 

 

“Oh,” both civilians exchanged a look, before the old man answered. “We haven’t seen him this morning. He was here last night, acting a little strange.” 

 

“Strange?” Kakashi asked, his paranoia rising in the back of his mind. Maybe he did need to be worried. 

 

“Yes, he was complaining of a headache. Said he kept feeling the anxiety of some guy down the bar. It was strange.” Ichiraku twisted his wrist, mixing the noodles. “In all the years he’s been here, he’s   
never had a headache before.” He shot a look at Kakashi, more words unspoken in the look. 

 

Kakashi wasn’t even sure that Naruto could get a headache. The kid healed quick, faster than anyone that he knew of, except for Kushina. And the only time Kushina ever got a headache was when she was pregnant. He was pretty sure that Naruto wasn’t pregnant. 

 

“Hmm, thank you. We’ll keep looking,” Kakashi said. 

 

The ramen maker nodded. “Check the Hokage monument. He likes to spend some time up there. Says he’s trying to see what the view will be when his face is carved up there.” Kakashi smiled and nodded.   
They stepped out of the stand. Sakura hmmed quietly, looking up at him. “Sensei, should we be worried?” 

 

“I doubt it, Sakura.” He said with an eye smile, ignoring the near overwhelming worry bouncing in his skull. 

 

“Naruto doesn’t have headaches,” Sasuke added, hands in his pockets, shoulders hunched. He didn’t look up, though Kakashi could tell that he was worried. 

 

“He doesn’t, does he,” Sakura said, her voice slow in realization. “Could he be sick?” 

 

“Or poisoned,” Sasuke threw out, his voice dark. Sakura’s eyes widened and she looked up at Kakashi in a panic. 

 

“Now, now, let’s not jump to conclusions,” Kakashi said, having already jumped to that conclusion and hoping that Pakkun would hurry the hell up. “We’ll just focus on finding him first. Most likely, he simply forgot today was a team meeting.”

 

At that moment, his shadow clone popped, alerting him that Pakkun had found his wayward student. He was momentarily confused at the realization that the boy was at the graveyard, before his frustration and annoyance washed over him again. The past twenty minutes of near panic, and the boy was in the graveyard. 

 

“Maa, follow me,” He said, and took off, book in front of his face, though he was not even seeing the pages. His mind was too busy trying to figure out what was going on in his student’s head. 

 

They arrived at the graveyard in pretty good time, since he was walking quickly. His eyes immediately trained on the monument, but then slid to where the sunspot of chakra was sitting up in a tree on the outskirts of the graveyard. Pakkun was sitting nearby, eyes trained on the boy. Kakashi walked over and glanced down. 

 

“He’s meditating,” The pug explained, looking up. “Don’t know how long he’s been here, but I don’t think he’s noticed me.” 

 

“I noticed,” Naruto called, opening his eyes and blinking against the sun. He looked down and smiled brightly. He looked normal, but something seemed off to Kakashi, causing his paranoia to flash. “Hello Sensei, sorry about being late.” 

 

“Baka!” Sakura screeched. “Do you know how long we’ve been looking for you?” 

 

Naruto looked at her, and Kakashi watched a shadow cross over the boy’s eyes. It made his heart clench, because he only saw that look in the shinobi who’d lost people in the war. His shoulders tightened and he dropped his hand down closer to his kunai pouch. 

 

“I’m guessing a few minutes?” Naruto asked, pulling up a to-go cup out of his lap and jumping down. He took a sip and scrunched his nose, looking down at it. “Maybe longer, because my tea is real cold.”   
Tea? Kakashi thought. Naruto didn’t drink tea, unless it was gift or he was at Ichiraku’s. This was mostly because every tea house in Konoha refused to serve him and he didn’t have the patience to brew it right. Kakashi narrowed his eyes, wondering who this imposter was. 

 

“Really, dobe,” Sasuke asked. “You ran off, was late, and went and got tea?” 

 

The flash of killing intent was brief, but made Kakashi’s heart stop. Sakura let out a little gasp and staggered back. Sasuke blinked, eyes flashing red, immediately going into a crouch, hand on his kunai pouch. Pakkun let out a startled woof, hackles raised. 

 

Naruto stood there, taking another sip of his tea, eyes trained on the KIA Monument. He took a deep breath and looked at them blinked, a clueless look on his face. “What’s wrong?” Kakashi noted that the hand holding the tea was tight, knuckles slowly turning white. 

 

“D-Didn’t you feel that?” Sakura stuttered out.” 

 

“Feel what?” the blonde asked, taking another sip. 

 

“That!” Sakura yelled, arms waving. “Whatever that was!” 

 

“I didn’t feel anything.” Naruto shrugged. “Are you sure there was something?” 

 

“Yes, dobe, there was something!” Sasuke snapped. Naruto’s eyes flickered towards the Uchiha, but slid off him, as if he couldn’t bear to look at him. Kakashi fought back his concern. 

 

“Weird,” Naruto said, shrugging. He looked up to Kakashi and looked almost sheepish, before looking away. “So, what was the meeting about? Are we taking a mission?” 

 

“No,’ Kakashi said, accepting the diversion. He pulled out the paperwork packets from his vest. “I have permission forms here for you, to enter the Chunin exams. They will be hosted in Konoha this year, and I feel like it will be a good learning experience for the team. I want you to think it over and fill them out. The exams are next monday at nine at the academy. Be there if you want to be a Chunin. But beware,” He dropped his voice and leaned forward. “Genins die in these exams. Don’t agree to it unless you’re willing.” He back up and brightly said, “Other than that, you have the day off.” 

 

“Really?” Sakura asked, her voice shaky. She glanced over at Naruto, as she accepted her package. “But-” 

 

“Nothing really, enjoy your day off, think about the exams. Now shoo,” He waved them off. Naruto took a step forward after grabbing his paper, but Kakashi shot him a look. The boy sighed and took another sip of his cold tea, holding still. 

 

Sasuke grabbed the papers and looked over at Naruto as well. “We’re entering.” He said, though it almost sounded like a question. 

 

Naruto sipped his tea and nodded. He lowered his cup and, as it seemed to Kakashi’s observant eyes, forced himself to look at Sasuke in the eye. “Of course,” He said with a somewhat strained smile. 

This did not reassure Sasuke, who left looking concerned. Sakura trailed after him, looking between them for a moment before wincing and rubbing at her temples. Kakashi glanced down at Pakkun, who woofed and poofed out. 

 

Once they were out of view, Naruto took another sip. “So, time to explain?” He asked, conversationally. 

 

Kakashi felt his chest tighten, fear and anger combatting in his head. He was afraid something had happened to his favorite student, but angry at the thought that this imposter was playing with him. He gave a fake eye smile at the boy. “Yep.” 

 

Naruto sighed deeply. “Awesome. We need somewhere no one will be able to hear.” 

 

If he were any other ninja, Kakashi would be worried that this was some form of assassination attempt. Instead, he wondered what had happened last night. He nodded, “I know somewhere.” 

 

“Lead the way.” Naruto waved a hand and grinned brightly, an edge to the expression. “Don’t worry about leaving me behind either, I can keep up.” Kakashi blinked but nodded, and took off. He didn’t shushinn away, but just jumped across the treetops, headed for his apartment. While small, the home was heavily sealed from outside observation. His paranoia didn’t allow for anything less. 

 

Naruto was right at his heels on his left.. Kakashi was slightly impressed, since the blonde had never shown this particular speed before. It didn’t take long before they were at the jonin apartments, and Kakashi was letting them in through his roof hatch. 

 

“No door?” Naruto asked, dropping into the room.

 

“Why use a door?” Kakashi replied, closing the hatch behind him. The blonde smiled at him, obviously amused. 

 

Kakashi activated the home seals, basically locking the world outside away. If there was one thing he paid attention to Kushina about, it was privacy seals. Naruto hummed, apparently feeling the seals activate, which was interesting, since Kakashi wasn’t aware he could do that. 

 

“Now, mind explaining?” Kakashi asked, settling back against the couch. Naruto stayed standing, still holding his cup of tea. He glanced over. 

 

“I don’t think you’ll believe me, but I’ll do my best. I’ll start off by saying that everything I’m saying is true, and that you should look and check to see if I am Uzumaki Naruto, to start off with.” 

 

“And how should I do that?” Kakashi asked, back straightening slightly. Naruto, if it was really him, grinned. 

 

“Best way, check to see if the Kyuubi is still there.” Naruto raised out his arms. “He is, but you should check.” 

 

Kakashi let his senses reach out to touch the kid. It wasn’t difficult to feel the rush of chakra underneath the sunspot, the red fire of burning power. It didn’t feel like hatred, like it did when it had attacked the village, but there was no mistaking that it was the Kyuubi. He blinked, and nodded. “Okay, you are the Kyuubi’s jinchuuriki.”

 

Naruto laughed. “Right. Kyuubi’s there, but that doesn't mean I’m Naruto, right? I am, but I’m not the Naruto you know. I mean,” He sighed. “I’m confusing myself. What do you know about time travel.” 

 

Of all the things to come out Naruto’s mouth, that was the last that Kakashi expected. He let out a bark of shocked laugh. “It doesn’t work. My sensei looked into it, but it’s not a possibility.” He said, his voice harsh.

 

“I’m not surprised. To get the Hirashinn to work, you do have to work with some time alteration seals.” Naruto nodded. Kakashi felt the wash of shock. He hadn’t told the kid who his sensei was. “Anyways, according to Kurama, this wasn’t a mortal jutsu.” 

 

“Kurama? Mortal jutsu?” Kakashi asked, doing his best to not stammer. 

 

Naruto’s smile softened. “Yeah. Kurama is the Kyuubi. He and I are partners. And as far as mortal jutsus, this wasn’t something done by mad. Apparently, when I died, I got rejected from the Pure Lands.” He blinked, his eyes getting far away look. 

 

“How do you get rejected from the Pure Lands,” Kakashi asked harshly, pulling Naruto from his daze. The boy shook his head. 

 

“Sorry, remembered something. The Shinigami evidently told me that the reward for good work was more work. That’s when I started throwing a fit and we got kicked back to eleven.” Naruto rubbed the side of his head. “That’s really annoying, ya know. That I have to fix other people's idiocy just because I kept my village alive. Jerk.” 

 

Kakashi slid onto the couch, face in his hands. At least Naruto been right and said that he wouldn’t believe him. The mere thought of this possibly being real was mind boggling and not something that he really wanted to think about. 

 

“Sensei, I know it’s tough to believe the impossible.” The voice was gentle. “Trust me, I’m not believing it much either. I thought I was in a genjutsu in the beginning. But there isn’t any other option. I can prove it, I think.” 

 

“How?” the jonin croaked out. 

 

“Dad’s jutsu. There’s no way anyone would be able to teach me, right?” Naruto asked. “If I can do it, then that bears some truth to my story.” 

 

Kakashi looked up, blinking. On an impulse, he shoved his headband, revealing the sharingan. Naruto’s eyes flashed again, a rage in them that Kakashi was only able to glimpse before it disappeared. He blinked, confused, but nodded. “Do it.” 

 

Naruto held out his hand and focused for a second before letting out a choked laugh. “Huh, chakra control is muscle memory. Who knew?” He looked up. “Give me a second,” He said, bringing his hands up in the Kage Bunshin hand signs. Kakashi stiffened as another Naruto appeared. He held out his hand again, and the clone began moving his hands around, drawing chakra into a round shape. 

 

As Kakashi gaped on his couch, the clone and the original mixed their chakra into the familiar shape of the Rasengan. Finally, Naruto held it up, his clone dissipating. 

 

“It took me like almost five years of training with it to actually be able to build it without a clone.” He chuckled sheepishly. “Chakra control is not my strong suit.” 

 

“How-?” Kakashi croaked. 

 

“Hmm, oh, Jiraiya taught me. I actually learned it in like a week. It was my go-to jutsu, until my enemies realized I relied on it too much. I haven’t used it in a while, come to think of it.” The blonde boy, looking so much like Namikaze Minato, closed his eyes and let the chakra flow out and away, the ball disappearing. “But I figure it was the best way for you to believe me. After all, there’s no other way for me to know it.” 

 

“You’re right.” Kakashi rubbed his head and sighed, overwhelmed by everything. “Why, though? You said that the Shinigami sent you back for a reason. What reason?” 

 

“War is coming,” The dark look crossed his face again, one that Kakashi recognized easily. A chill slid down his spine. “A war that will devastate the world and end up with the majority of people dead. And what’s worse, is that they won’t stay dead.”

 

“What do you mean?” Kakashi asked quietly. 

 

“Edo Tensei. It’s a summoning technique that summons the dead from the Pure Lands. Usually to use it, you have to have a living sacrifice to summon the person you want. However, if you use it in conjunction with a giant fucking statue with seven of the tailed beasts, you no longer need living sacrifices. You can just summon whatever the fuck you want,” Naruto’s face twisted in rage. “So now, every Kage since the Warring States Era are attacking your village. Now, every jonin level ninja is attacking your village. And by some miracle, you’re able to kill them, the next new moon, they come fucking back.” He growled, hands clenching. “Every new moon, the dead rose again. And they attacked again. We put them down, and they came back.”   
Kakashi stared in horror. 

 

“And finally, because two people were able to beat the mind control portion of the jutsu, we were able to grant the dead a final death. A way that kept them from coming back on the next new moon. And for once, we started winning.” Naruto sighed, leaning against the wall as if for strength. 

 

“It didn’t matter,” He muttered. “We took a risk, headed for the statue to destroy it, to break the jutsu. It was an ambush. THe enemy had renewed the jutsu. We were a two man team. We couldn’t beat an entire army of Kages and jonin from every village. And I died.” 

 

“This-this is what’s coming?” Kakashi asked quietly, eyes wide in terror. 

 

“No,” Naruto straightened, his shoulders going back. He turned to his sensei, and Kakashi felt a chill go down his spine again, but for a different reason this time. If he hadn’t believe the kid before, he did now. 

 

There was an obvious difference in Naruto. This wasn’t a blonde orange wearing idiot child shouting about being a Hokage. Oh the face was the same, but the eyes were completely different. This was a warrior, someone who had fought countless fights against impressive opponents. Kakashi blinked and nodded. 

 

“What do you need from me?”


End file.
